County to house federal inmates

The Miami County Commissioners signed an agreement between the Miami County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Department of Justice and the Prisoner Operations Division of the U.S. Marshals Service at their meeting Thursday.

The facility will house up to 20 federal inmates, 15 male and five female, at a daily rate of $59 per inmate. Sheriff Dave Duchak said that the number of inmates housed in Miami County might increase in the future.

“They’ve given us that indication. There’s nothing concrete, but they’ve given us reason to believe they may ask for additional space in the future,” he said.

The sheriff’s office will be responsible for transporting inmates to and from the Dayton Federal Courthouse in downtown Dayton. Each transport will require two deputies. The reimbursement rate for the deputies will be $36 per hour for the time they spend on the transport.

Commissioner Greg Simmons asked about the space available at the facility and whether there would be room for the 20 new inmates or any additional inmates.

Duchak said that there is room for the 20 inmates specified in the agreement, but added that, if asked to take on more in the future, the county would have to consider opening the fourth pod of the Incarceration Facility. Commissioner John “Bud” O’Brien told Duchak he would like to start having discussions about opening the fourth pod anyway, “knowing how long it takes to find corrections officers.”

“Just to see, if it has to open, how long it might take to get the personnel,” he said.

The commissioners thanked the sheriff for working with the Department of Justice to bring additional inmates to the facility.

“It certainly helps defray our costs. And if we’ve got the space, there’s no reason to not do so,” Commissioner Jack Evans said.

Duchak said the arrangement also benefits the Department of Justice, which has had to transport some inmates to court from as far as Sandusky.

In other business, the commissioners also approved the repair and painting of the downtown jail recreation area screen frame, which has started to rust. The project, which will include the removal of the mesh panels, powering washing, sanding and painting of the frame, will cost $2,663 and be completed by Meyer Restorations of Piqua.